


Shrouded

by Tinyshot



Series: Silver and Steel [1]
Category: Fallout (Video Games), Fallout 4
Genre: Anonymity, Anonymous Sex, Blindfolds, F/M, Light Angst, Masturbation, Oral Sex, POV Alternating, Porn With Plot, Smut
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-04-15
Updated: 2016-04-18
Packaged: 2018-06-02 10:34:21
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 15,134
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6562894
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tinyshot/pseuds/Tinyshot
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>K/meme prompt:</p><p>I would like to see a story with a mistaken identity. Basically I'd like to see a character incognito hook up with another character who they know, but who doesn't recognize them. Then later on, it's back to daily life. And the incognito person is now suddenly really attracted to the other person but has to hide it because the other person does not realize their friend/acquaintance is the person they hooked up with.</p><p>This story now has some <a href="http://tiny-shot.tumblr.com/post/145439957222/a-beautiful-piece-that-i-had-commissioned">beautiful artwork</a> by <a href="http://maxsonbooty.tumblr.com/">Maxsonbooty</a>!</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Shadow of Silver

**Author's Note:**

> First time writing smut, critics are welcome! Have fun.

This neighborhood wasn't good. He shouldn't be here.

One: someone might recognize him. Two: someone might recognize him and try to take advantage of it. Three: he might just simply get killed out here and then someone would recognize him and try to cover their tracks up.

But he had to see him.

Arthur Maxson would never admit it but on long cold nights he would tune his battered radio to a very particular frequency and listen to the stories of a hero from the world long gone. He'd keep the volume low and his door shut; it was his guilty pleasure, his great secret. His mind would travel through time and space and follow the fabled Silver Shroud as he fought his way through pre-War Boston, righting wrongs, dispensing justice.

It was the Shroud he looked up to when he wrote and prepared his inspirational speeches. Commanding voice, powerful words, utmost conviction. It was the perfect template and it never failed him.

Carefully stashed underneath his bed were whatever issues of the comic books he could salvage. Most of them he found during his time as a squire and a knight; his duties now left almost no time for such a hobby. But he didn't need to look through the wreckage to find the Shroud - he was always there, Arthur just needed to turn the knob.

So, one night, when an excited voice interrupted the radio show, he was annoyed.

"Calling all Silver Shroud fans! I have an important announcement!"

Arthur groaned. Not right now! The Shroud was about to confront the Mechanist, the fate of humanity was at stake! He found himself wondering if his own confrontation with the Institute would be anything like it. And now he might never know what happened! It was important! He could have gotten some ideas...

"HE'S BACK! The Shroud is back on the streets and he is going to dispense some justice! Behold, Commonwealth, for the Shroud is coming!"

Arthur sat in his chair dumbfounded. The Shroud? But... He was never real to begin with, so he can't really be back? Or can he?..

Maybe the comic books were, in fact, a collection of real stories? Embellished, of course, much like his own encounter with a deathclaw, but what if they were real? He could learn so much from him.

This Shroud... he had to meet him. He had to.

 

Maxson kept a close ear on the radio since that whole evening. This Shroud guy wasn't joking. He was cleansing Goodneighbor, of all places. That trash heap could use someone like Shroud. He was admirable and brave. But he couldn't help but think how wasteful it was. A hero like Shroud shouldn't be dealing with those miscreants. He would be such a great asset to the Brotherhood...

But then if the Shroud wasn't dealing with those bastards, who would? Dedication was The Shroud's trademark after all. He was a hero, taking jobs big or small because it was a right thing to do.

Still, such a waste. He had to try and establish contact.

So that's how he ended up here. On the ground. In a dirty, stinking bar called the Third Rail. Alone.

Simple nondescriptive clothes, hood pulled over his head to hide his militaristic haircut, and a pair of pistols on his belt to hopefully send a message. No one paid him any attention. Probably figured he was another drifter, hiding from someone. In this place, everyone owed someone something, so they didn't pry.

"So what's your poison, kid?" A mister Handy with a British flag sticker floated closer to Arthur, his metal arms spinning nonchalantly.

"Ah, a shot of bourbon. Please."

The robot's eye stalk eyed him suspiciously, but he didn't say anything. Finally, he made some weird sound that Arthur could only interpret as 'whatever'. The Mr. Handy poured him some liquor in a grimy glass with surprising finesse.

Deciding to get this over with, Arthur downed the contents of the glass in one gulp and cringed. The alcohol wasn't even remotely decent.

"Now was there something else you need, kid?" asked the Handy in a grumpy tone as he turned around, about to float away.

"I'm looking for someone," Arthur blurted out, hoping he didn’t seem too suspicious.

"Oh really? You and half of the Commonwealth. Humor me, who's that going to be?"

Arthur scooted closer to the robot and carefully looked around.

"I'm looking for the Silver Shroud." He could feel everyone’s eyes on his back as soon as he said it. Even the singer stopped mid-sentence. The silence was so thick you could reach out and grab it.

"Ha. Ha. Ha. You're a funny one, I'll give you that." The robot turned around and floated away.

Arthur shifted in his seat uncomfortably. Everyone was looking at him. Someone might recognize him. Worse, they might think he was a troublemaker.

He could guess what happened with the troublemakers with this town.

He slid quietly from his chair and made his way through the Third Rail as fast as he could. When his fingers were on the door handle, something hard smacked him on the back of a head. The world blinked out like a terminal screen without power.

 

When he came back to his senses it was all pain. Arthur assessed the situation carefully, trying to ignore the throbbing in his head.

He was tied to a chair. His captors had also handcuffed him just to be safe. He could feel the metal digging into his wrists. That was going to pose a problem. It was relatively dark. The only window was pretty far away from where he was, and only pale moonlight was coming through.

So he hadn’t been out for too long. Or had been and it was the next night already.

Who were his captors? Why had they done this? How long before the Brotherhood sent a search party for their Elder? How long would it take them to find him, especially since he had deliberately misled his people?

It had seemed like a good plan at the time. He had casually mentioned to Danse and his recruit, who were playing poker with Ingram and Teagan in the mess, that he was going to hunt. Maybe get a fresh radstag if he was lucky.

Damn it, it was supposed to be different. He was a fool. He should never have looked for this crazy Shroud person. Now he probably has had gotten himself killed for nothing, and the Brotherhood would fall to infighting and chaos because of him...

A high pitched sound of shattering glass made him look up.

A dark figure bathed in the moonlight was standing in front of him. Their long black trenchcoat was falling almost to the floor, tiny broken glass shards pooled around the person's feet like stardust. The coat shimmered under the moonlight with an almost silvery gleam. A black hat, matched with reflective sunglasses and a dark bandana, made sure that the face of this person remained a mystery.

The Silver Shroud.

Arthur gasped. It was like this person had stepped out of a comic book. Shroud glanced at him from under the rim of his hat - Maxson couldn't see it, but he felt it, the intense gaze almost burning him - and moved towards him.  
His light steps made no sound on the broken glass.

"A hostage. I should have known! Those misfits would go to such lengths to gain an upper hand, but I'm not so easily apprehended! They all paid dearly for their vile crimes..."

Arthur blinked in surprise. Deep and imposing the voice might be, but it definitely belonged to a woman.

He could see it now. A lighter build, the coat's generous lapels almost perfectly concealing her chest, hips a bit too wide to be considered male... A woman? How could this be?

Not that he didn't think a woman could be strong. He grew up around women who could easily lift a man and break his spine over their knee. Sarah Lyons, Star Paladin Cross, Proctor Ingram... He just expected the Shroud to be... well, like the Shroud of the old. A surly chain-smoking man, armed with a sub-machine gun and conviction.

Nothing could prepare him for this lithe, agile woman, who made her way to his chair faster than he could turn his head, and unlocked his handcuffs with an ease that came from years of practice. The ropes tightened for a second and were ripped away, and Arthur flew up from his chair. He regretted that instantly, his head spinning, his legs giving out from under him. The blow to the head was worse than he’d thought while he was sitting.

The Shroud hid a knife inside her sleeve and walked up to him.

"Are you all right? Do you require my assistance?" She said, crouching beside him, her voice straining to maintain the deepness.

"I'm... I... I need a minute." He huffed, clutching his head. The pain washed over him and passed, for now.

The Shroud stared at him from behind the reflective glasses.

"This band was capturing the people who were looking for my help, citizen. Those bastards were trying to make a point. I made a point of proving them wrong..." She stood up and extended a gloved hand, helping him up, "It is regretful what happened to you on my watch. Allow me to repay you."

"How?" Arthur staggered to his feet, colliding with the woman for a brief second. She was... tall. They were almost of the same height, and Arthur usually towered over wastelanders . Adequate nutrition during childhood made a lot of difference.

"You need to take care of that wound. Allow me to do that. You’ll get a safe place to stay, meds and stims, even chems if that's what you fancy... You were hurt because of my actions. I owe you a debt. And the Silver Shroud always repays his debts."

She supported him as they made their way down. She'd only let go of him once, to tamper with a terminal. The elevator made a humming noise and turned on. Arthur breathed a sigh of relief. No stairs.

They made their way through the Goodneighbor, thankfully not meeting anyone on the way. It was early morning, as far as Arthur could tell, and even the most stubborn drifters were had either passed out drunk, or high or had been lucky enough to find some company for the night.

When they entered the seedy hotel, Shroud walked past the hostess like she owned the place. The old woman frowned but didn't say anything.

She had to all but drag him up the stairs. By the time they made their way to her room, both of them were panting. She unlocked the door and pushed him inside. She then proceeded to disarm, leaving her sniper rifle by the desk, and her knife and a heavy pistol on the nightstand.

Arthur collapsed on the bed and was thankful that it was relatively clean. The place smelled faintly of mold and decay, much like the rest of the Commonwealth. Soon he would learn to ignore it just like everyone did have.

The Shroud sat on the bed next to him, and it was really hard to figure out what she was thinking with her face hidden completely under the costume. All he could tell was that she had rather short, shaggy hair that was slicked back behind her ears, dark and shiny, and surprisingly clean looking.

"Why the mask?" Arthur asked quietly, fighting the urge to reach out and touch her.

"To protect the ones I care about. And to stop certain people from coming after me. I doubt the Brotherhood would think twice before jumping to certain conclusions, their Elder kidnapped and injured because of me..."

Arthur's head snapped up, pain returning in force.

"Yes, I know who you are, Arthur Maxson. You are lucky your kidnappers did not."

He let out a defeated sigh. The Shroud was good. He caught a glimpse of her handiwork when they made their way through the foyer of that abandoned building - very impressive, considering that she was alone. At least five men laid slain on the floor, and from the look of it, they hadn’t even known what hit them.

"I know. You're going to say the same thing as everyone else. I know it was irresponsible of me and it can't happen again," Arthur said bitterly.

The Shroud nodded.

"But I want it to happen. I want to see you work, to see you confront a villain, to watch you cleanse the Commonwealth. I... " he stuttered. The Shroud cocked her head to the side, "I never miss an episode, you know. On the radio. I had to meet you, Shroud. I... wish I could be more like you. Not bound by rigid rules and duties, free to help people as I see fit."

"You can't," she said, for the first time forgetting to use the voice of the Shroud. Her real voice was much more harmonic, even though a little rough. It seemed faintly familiar. She cleared her throat and returned to the acting. "You think the Shroud does not have duties? Look around you. I have a duty to protect these people, just like you protect yours."

"It's such a waste for you to be doing it on a small scale. With Brotherhood you could save the entire Commonwealth. We have the resources..."

"No. It's... Not that simple." She answered and got on her feet.

"No! Please, don't go."

"Bandages, stimpacks, and Med-X are in the top drawer," she seemed to be ignoring him. "Goodbye, Arthur Maxson. Don't try to find me again."

He lurched forward, his head screaming with pain, but he had enough time to grab her wrist and pull himself up to her. She tensed, her arm twitching, but she did not attack.

"Please... If this is the only time we can meet, I'd love to have something to remember you by. To make sure it was real..."

She seemed to be thinking, but he couldn't tell.

"... close your eyes. No peeking." Her tone left no room for debate. Arthur obeyed. She slipped behind him and then he felt warm fabrics touching his face, covering his eyes. It tightened around his head and he could feel a knot, a little above the wound, where caked blood stuck to his skin.

He tried to open his eyes, but the cloth was dark and thick, letting no light through.

"What is this ab..."

The soft touch of her lips on his made him shut up. Hers were chapped a bit, but his were no better. Arthur pulled her closer to him, desperate to feel her, touch her, burn this moment into his memory. She didn't resist, and he felt her hands, now gloveless, sliding up his chest, feeling the hard muscles under the thin fabric of his simple T-shirt.

She broke the kiss and pushed him slightly backwards. Arthur's legs collided with the bed as he stepped back, so he sat down, nervous.

He could hear soft sounds of sliding fabric and then she was on top of him, straddling his hips. Arthur groaned. This position made his hardening cock uncomfortably pressured, not to mention quite obvious. He knew she could feel him through his pants. The Shroud chuckled, low and husky, her hands exploring his body. Arthur let his palms to do the same. A shame he couldn't see her, learn what felt good and what didn't. He had to rely on his other senses to figure it out.

With the coat gone he could feel the heat radiating from her body. He found her neck blindly and nuzzled into her, hoping also to move away the mask that was covering his eyes, to get just a small glimpse of this woman.

The impromptu blindfold was frustratingly tight. He huffed and proceeded to tug on her button up shirt. Arthur slipped his hand inside, feeling the softest skin on her belly. Shroud shuddered and tried to move away from him, but he held her tight. With his other hand he tried to unbutton her, but with the blindfold on it was nigh impossible.

He grabbed the sides of her shirt and ripped them open, and heard a few buttons shooting through the air, hitting the walls. The woman in his arms gasped, and then smacked him on a shoulder, outraged.

He paid it no mind, his hands sliding up her body, feeling, touching, exploring. He found her breasts and pushed the bra down, freeing them from the constraints. His mouth was on her nipple immediately, sucking and lapping.

The moan that escaped the Shroud's lips made Arthur shudder with excitement. He could feel everything so much clearer now. With his eyes blindfolded his other senses had heightened. He could hear her breath quickening, feel her pulse under her skin. It was maddening, and his cock throbbed in anticipation.

He felt her sliding away from him and stifled a disappointed moan. But he could hear her disrobing, though he didn't know to what extent. It took all of his willpower not to rip away the damn blindfold and pounce on her. She had her reasons, he had to respect them.

He felt her returning, and he could tell that the last of her clothing was gone now. Arthur's hands wandered down her skin, caressing and scratching lightly. He found her ass, round and firm, and squeezed it, loving the way it gave under his hands.  
He was suddenly acutely aware of the fact that he was still fully clothed, a naked woman on his lap. He let go of her and peeled his jacket off, feeling her lips on his throat.

The Shroud pushed him back, making him lay down. She unfastened his pants and pushed the fabric down just enough for his cock to spring free. She hummed quietly and left him wondering if she approved, if she liked what she saw.

The answer came when he felt her lips closing around his tip. She swirled her tongue around him and sucked. Arthur moaned loudly and his hands found her hair, silky and smooth, and long enough for him to grab onto.

She took him in deeper, and he could feel her cheeks from the inside. Waves of pleasure washed over him one after another, threatening to overwhelm him. He gasped and pulled her up roughly by the hair but she didn't seem to mind.

Arthur could almost feel her smug grin.

Time for a little revenge, he thought. His hand let go of her hair and snaked down her body. He felt her shiver under his touch. He felt a small patch of coarser hair and moved in lower still, finding her slick with juices. She coated his fingers immediately and he chuckled.

She was wet for him.

His fingers ghosted over her slick folds, not going inside, not yet. He searched for that little nub of nerves, the magic button, and when he touched it she bucked in his hand. Arthur grinned and continued the assault on her clit, rubbing his rough fingerpad firmly on the soft, gentle bud.

She squirmed in his arms, moaning and sobbing, and he could feel her pussy twitch randomly. She was getting close. He slid a finger inside and curled it upwards.

She came undone, mewling loudly. The moan went straight to his cock and Arthur groaned. He could feel her juices coating his hand, and her shaking on his chest. He wanted to see her so badly, but he couldn't.

He held her tighter and flipped them in one fluid motion. Arthur couldn't hold out any longer. He grabbed her hips and pulled her close. He couldn't see, but he felt her hand on his cock, guiding him to her entrance. As soon as he felt her wet folds touching his tip he pushed in.

Both of them cried out at the sudden flood of sensation. Her pussy was clamping down on his thick shaft, so hot and wet and perfect. He could feel her tensing, could feel her erratic pulse all around him.

He withdrew almost completely before ramming back into her, again and again. He knew he wouldn't hold on much longer but he wanted her to come again, to feel her orgasm while he was inside her. His fingers found her clit again and she threw her head back in a helpless moan, her nails leaving marks on his back.

He felt her twitch around his cock, tightening, and couldn't hold on anymore. He came with a loud groan, spilling himself deep inside her, and he felt her shudder under him. She was panting, and one last flick of his finger was enough to push her over the edge too.

A sudden bang on the wall next to them was accompanied by a gruff, muffled voice.

"Keep it down! I'm trying to sleep here, you punks!"

Arthur had to bite his lip to keep himself from roaring with laughter and he felt Shroud shaking under him in silent agreement.

He rolled away from her, already missing the feeling of her body. He felt her rise from the bed, the mattress springing back free. She quietly gathered her clothes and dressed herself.

"Don't take it off until I'm gone," she whispered, her fingertips ghosting over the blindfold and then his lips. Arthur suddenly felt his chest tightening with emotions.

"Goodbye," she said quietly.

He had to say something, anything.

"Will I ever see you again?" He whispered.

The sound of closing door was his only answer.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> XOXO a sudden bout of the feels! What will happen next? Find out... on the next episode!


	2. Dancing in the Dark

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alternating POVs.
> 
> What's done is done, and now they have to deal with the fallout.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am a terrible person.

The sun was rising when Anna made her way back to Diamond City. She opened the door to Kellogg's house - she still considered it his house, despite practically owning the place - as quietly as she could, but it was enough to make Danse stir.

Paladin cracked one eye open and groaned, stretching.

"How was your walk?" He asked, grinning knowingly.

"It was... good," She said, slipping out of her distinct outfit and leaving it in the secret room. Anna could feel Danse eyeing her suspiciously. Usually, she was quick to tell him all about her nearly nightly exploits. What she did, who she saved, where was the ruckus... And he would listen, nodding approvingly, then tell her she was reckless, and then make her some tea.

Not tonight. She was _not_ going to tell Danse that she had saved and subsequently fucked the holy Arthur Maxson himself. He might end up accidentally smiting her for such blasphemy.

"You know it's not good for you to be crawling over the rooftops all night and then march through the dirt all day," he said, obviously concerned. Anna knew he was right, but...

"Yeah, sure, Mom," she answered as she approached the only bed in the house, rolling her eyes, "move. I need some sleep."

Danse huffed in disapproval but rolled over. Top of his jumpsuit was tied loosely around his waist, hard muscles flexing tantalizingly under the scar-crossed skin. Anna plopped on the warm bed and turned away from him.

She usually would watch him in his sleep, and sometimes indulge in fantasies about him waking up and fucking her into the mattress. But, well, her mind was already occupied. She tried to will away the images of Maxson looming over her, blindfolded, panting, hers and hers alone.

She didn't expect it hurt when she said the final goodbye. Why would it? It was nothing, a fling, a stupid thing to do. She just wanted it, wanted him, and, protected by the Silver Shroud persona, she got her wish. He'll never know.

And it's not like Anna is not going to see him again, right...

The cold sticky feeling of dread had seized her suddenly. She was going to face him again. And if Danse gets his wish it was going to be today.

 

Four hours later they strolled through the streets of the old Boston. Danse was making annoyed noises at her from time to time.

"How could you loose those signal grenades? It was Elder Maxson's personal gift to you! We could have been docking to the Prydwen by now if you'd only kept your things together!"

"Hey, you're the one who slept through the entire night, not me," Anna retorted weakly. She might regret this decision yet. Well, too late to return now, the signal grenades were stashed away in a hidden safe at Kellogg's place. The bastard had so many hidden compartments in his house she wasn't sure she'd ever find them all. There was always another secret.

They went on, and in another hour Anna was so tired she could barely move one foot in front of the other. The night of fighting and sneaking finished off with some unnecessary close quarters exercise had combined with the leftover exhaustion of the past few month of living in the wasteland and punched her square in the gut. She was about to collapse, and Prydwen was still a distant shape on the horizon.

When the crackling sound of a vertibird cut through the cold air she was about to spring into a happy dance but thought better of it.

Danse promptly turned on his distress beacon. Vertibird pilot seemed to have noticed it and started to hover over them, looking for a decent place to land.

Paladin hopped in easily, the 'bird groaning and tilting slightly under the weight of his power armor. He turned back and extended his hand, helping Anna to get up on the flying machine. But when he let go of her hand and moved she almost fell out of the 'bird.

Arthur Maxson was strapped in one of the seats, a question in his eyes.

"Elder," she chocked, "um, what are you doing out here?"

She eyed him intensely. He looked from her to Danse and back. Not even a flicker of surprised recognition in his blue eyes. Anna let out a breath she didn't realize she was holding. He didn't know she was the Shroud. Good. She was somewhat afraid that he would be able to see through her bandana that she used as a mask.

"I'm more interested in what you are doing. I seem to recall giving you some signal grenades," he asked as they strapped themselves into the seats.

"It is regretful Elder," Danse chimed in, "but we used some of them previously and the rest appears to be lost."

Anna shot him a murderous glare. Soldier boys. Have to please their betters.

Maxson frowned. He always frowned when in an official setting. But she remembered him from the night before when he was begging her to stay. When he was writhing under her tongue. When he rolled on top and thrust inside... There was not even a single frown on his handsome face.

She swallowed hard. This train of thought was going nowhere and was only leaving her frustrated. Though she couldn't really do anything about the heat already pooling between her legs. She shifted uncomfortably in her seat, squeezing her thighs together. The pressure felt good.

She carefully glanced over to where Danse and Maxson were sitting. Danse seemed to be taking an extra nap right there in his armor, and Maxson looked like he was lost in his thoughts, fiddling with his left glove idly.

The sound of vertibird's engines drowned out a sigh she made when she squeezed her legs tighter and shifted a bit, trying to believe herself. Was she really doing this right there, with both of her direct commanding officers not a few feet away?

If anything, she had to admit, it only made it more exciting.

She shot a glance and Maxson. God was he handsome, and the sight of him - now that she knew what was under that uniform - was sending all sorts of delicious shivers down her spine. The light vibration of the vertibird's seat was only making it better. Or worse, depending how one looks at it.

The young Elder seemed to snap back to his senses for a second and looked directly at her, catching her stare. She shuddered and bit her lip as she came, looking into those blue eyes, something she hasn't had a chance to do last night.

She promptly looked away, desperately hoping that any sounds she made were muffled by the roar of engines.

 

Knight Lester was acting weird. She was fidgeting in her seat, looking around and generally seemed uncomfortable. Arthur raised an eyebrow and looked away.

Was she really that nervous about some signal grenades? Or maybe it was because Danse called her out right in front of him?

Whatever it is he'd have to talk to her. She was their most connected agent, with ties to multiple key settlements, the Minutemen, Diamond City and even Goodneighbor. Maybe she'd know something about the Silver Shroud too.

The Shroud. He brushed his thumb almost reverently over a black bandana that was wrapped over his left palm instead of his usual glove. Her mask, the one she used to blindfold him. He woke up a few hours after she left, clutching it in his hand.

It was real. She was real. She was somewhere out there in the Commonwealth, and he had to find her even though she had told him not to. She wasn't playing by the rules and he suspected that to find her he'd have to do the same.

 

"Very well. I am pleased that the mission was a success. You earned yourself a day off. Paladin, Knight."

Danse grinned as he was saluting his Elder. Anna did the same and turned on her heel to walk out.

"Knight Lester. A moment before you go."

Anna cursed inwardly. Was it about the damn grenades again? Or was she way too obvious on the 'bird? _Shit_.

And here she was hoping for a shower.

Maxson stood by a window, overlooking the ruined city, hands clasped behind his back.

"Knight, it has come to my attention that there is a highly successful vigilante operating in the ruins of old Boston," he said, and Anna stiffened, mortified, "people call her 'the Silver Shroud'..."

She wanted to run. To hide. To just not be here. This tension Anna was feeling was too much. But also there was a part of her that wanted to confess to him and see what he would do.

"I'd like you to find her. You have connections, and a way with people of the Commonwealth. Wastelanders see you as one of their own and are more likely to trust you."

She breathed out a sigh of relief, but her heart was still beating high in her throat.

"Her?" She managed to say, the silence was stretching too thick, "I thought the Shroud was a man."

"She is a woman, I know that for a fact," he replied, still not looking at her.

 _Yeah you would_ , thought Anna, grinning to herself.

"Understood," she said, and for the first time in the conversation, Maxson turned towards her. He looked... She didn't know what it was. If she didn't know the stoic Elder before, she would think that he was... sad.

Her traitorous heart pinched.

"It's a personal favor, Knight. I would ask you to keep no records and mention it to no one."

"What about Paladin Danse, Elder?"

Maxson thought about it for a moment.

"Not even him. And I doubt you'll have any luck when there is a Paladin looming over your shoulder. This is your mission."

She nodded and saluted.

"Dismissed."

 

She bumped into Danse on the way to the showers. Paladin had docked his power armor on the main deck and was making his way down. He was obviously curious about what she and the Elder talked about but seemed to be holding on for now.

Anna sighed when the hot water hit her skin, washing away wasteland's dust and grime, but it was also washing away the faint scent of yesterday's night, the faint scent of sweat and leather and steel, of Maxson.

She ducked her head under the stream and closed her eyes. She was in deep and she knew it. Maxson would want results. It's fortunate that he sent her to hunt down, well, herself. She had an opportunity to make him stop... somehow. She'd need to think hard about it, and she didn't have much time.

If Anna is unsuccessful he might send someone else. And this someone might sniff out the truth.

She groaned and banged her head on the shower stall in frustration.

A dark haired head pocked over the slightly rusty partition, separating the stalls, his face concerned.

"You all right in there, Knight?"

Anna gasped and punched Danse in the face.

 

She left the Prydwen on the next day, a scowling Paladin seeing her off. A blooming black eye was perfectly visible on his face in the dim morning light.

"I'm really sorry Danse," she said for the hundredth time, "but you should have known better that to one, startle me, and two doing it in the shower of all places. I was naked."

Danse shrugged. Co-ed showers were his norm and he didn't see anything unusual in it. That's why he didn't understand. Anna rolled her eyes and hopped onto the vertibird.

"See you, Paladin. Try not to have too much fun with the recruits." Poor sods, she thought, looking at beaming Danse.

The pilot banged on a bulkhead, getting her attention.

"Where to?" he asked, obviously surprised to see her alone.

"Diamond City."

"Hang on tight," the pilot replied and the bird eased down from the deck, froze for a moment and lurched downwards. It was always a rather scary feeling. The one you can never get used to.

Within an hour she was walking through the gates of an old stadium, feeling rather exposed without Danse's massive metal bulk behind her.

She made her way through the bustling marketplace, winking to John and waving to Doc. Her destination lay in the darkest back alley, where red neon letters glowed and flickered. Valentine was just the man to talk to about this whole... mess.

He was way smarter than she ever was, and that was before he became a synth. Now he was just frighteningly sagacious. Sometimes she missed old Nick the Cop, a friend of her father's. But here they were, two hundred years later. You have to work with what you have.

Nick would be the one to come up with something. He had to.

Otherwise, it would be only a matter of time before Maxson finds out and... Well, he is just as likely to shoot her of the Prydwen, quite literally, as he is to... what, sleep with her again? Anna rubbed her forehead. Nope, she just needed to stop daydreaming about that chest. And beard. And those thighs, God.

Her face was probably flaring just as bright as those cheesy signs.

She pushed the door almost angrily, barging into the office. Nick was talking quietly with his pretty assistant, going over some case most likely.

"Nick," she was surprised at how tense her own voice was, "I need your help."

The man looked over her with his sharp yellow eyes and hummed. His bare metallic hand dived into his pocket and produced a pack of cigarettes.

"You look like crap, girl," he chuckled, flicking the lighter, "what's it gonna to be today? The Prydwen collapsing? Kellogg coming back from the dead? Strong finally found his milk? Or is Hancock getting handsy again?"

"No. It's... something I'd like to talk about in private," she looked pointedly at the assistant. The young woman narrowed her eyes but walked out of the agency, banging the door just a tiny bit too loud.

"Sit down. I'm dying to hear what had startled you so much you came running here," Nick motioned her to the same old easy chair she sat in when he asked her about Kellogg.

She took a deep breath and started from the beginning.

 

When she finished talking, Nick was scratching his head.

"Wish I could get drunk. Damn, this is one hell of a place you're in. Didn't anyone tell you that sleeping with your boss is an inherently _bad_ idea?"

"What's done is done, Nick," she hissed, hugging herself. Nick chuckled and produced a dusty bottle of beer from under his desk. He popped the cap with his metal fingers and passed it to Anna.

"So you don't regret it. I see." That was not what she just said, but she realized that he was right. Damn it, he was always right.

"The point is - what do I do?"

"You could come clean."

"Oh Lord, no! He'll strangle me with his bare hands."

"I've never met the man," shrugged Nick, "but if you are into that sorta thing of course, sure."

Anna glared at him, but couldn't shun away the image that popped into her head. Maxson, dark and menacing, holding her down by the throat with one powerful hand as he pushed into her...

"Not helping, Nick," she groaned. The detective chuckled again and took a long drag.

"Then I suggest talking to him. As a Shroud."

"What?"

"Come to him as a Shroud, tell him to give up, threaten him or something. Just for the love of God don't stumble into the bed with him again, he might get the wrong idea."

"I'm afraid it's a bit too late for that."

 

When Knight Lester showed up on the command deck, he was waiting. Maxson spent the last few days catching himself thinking about the wrong things. About his... encounter with the Shroud. About the stubborn Knight, that was to find her. About the eerie silence coming from the radio.

Of course, the show went on like usual, but it was not interrupted by loud announcements of the Shroud's, his Shroud's exploits. It was quiet.

He was worried that something might have happened.

So when Knight Anna Lester made her way through the door, he called her over immediately.

She was leaving small droplets of water on the floor, a storm starting outside. Knight saluted him and clasped her hands behind her back, waiting.

"So?" he could barely contain his excitement. Did she find her?

"I'm sorry, Elder," she hung her head and Arthur's heart dropped, "I failed you. I asked around as much as I dared, called in some favors... So far I couldn't find anything reliable on this Shroud. I need more time."

"I see," he said, perhaps a little too sharply, "do it, Knight. Report to me next week. Dismissed."

She nodded, not meeting his eyes, and turned on her heel. Arthur left out a huff of frustration. He gripped the railing, looking into the furious green storm.

Perhaps the Shroud knew Lester was affiliated with the Brotherhood. She was way too well informed to miss that. Maybe one of Knight's Minutemen would do the job better... Though he didn't doubt in his Knight's ability. He was sure she already asked her militiamen, but he intended to mention it to her just in case she didn't.

With the storm raging there was no way any other vertibird would make it up. Knight Lester was the last one to slip through before the radstorm started in earnest, the rest are now stranded on the ground. He would have no point in standing here, no more briefings would be conducted tonight.

Might as well take a look at the mountain of paperwork on his desk.

He climbed up to the main deck and walked into his room, Prydwen was swaying gently in the wind under his feet. He locked the door, turned on his radio and sat down on the couch, opening the first file.

He got through two more before he needed to send a message to Ingram. He turned towards his terminal.

And then he saw it.

A small playing card, black and white, was stuck in his keyboard. He carefully took it out and felt his heart skip a beat. It was the Silver Shroud calling card. He heard she was leaving those on the bodies of her victims.

What did this mean? Was she trying to assassinate him? Why?

He flipped the card over and on the other side there was a single word scribbled on the top.

' _Foredeck_ '.

Now? In the middle of a radstorm? And how did this even get here? Someone must have slipped into his quarters, but who? No outsider would be able to hitch a vertibird ride up. Arthur was almost certain of that.

Almost.

He jumped up to his feet. He had to know. Now.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The story continues... after the break!


	3. Chasing Ghosts

Arthur ran into the foredeck, located right underneath his command center. The gusting wind ruffled his hair and tugged at his coat. As soon as he opened the door he stopped dead in his tracks. A dark silhouette in front of him, tall and elegant, and was clearly outlined by a brilliant flash of lightning.

She was here. On his ship. How?!

The Shroud stood on the far end of the foredeck with her back to him, her trenchcoat whipping around violently. She was holding her hat with one gloved hand, the other one was hidden in her pocket.

"It's actually quite beautiful," she said, her low voice muffled by the wind, "in a deadly sort of way. Like you. And me."

He felt a shiver going up his spine. How did she get here? How did she sneak into his personal quarters? There was no way...

She turned to him. Her silvery scarf was pulled up high, covering most of her face.

"I told you you shouldn't look for me, Maxson. I warned you... But you wouldn't listen."

He stepped towards her, remembering that he had left his guns in his room. At least he still has a combat knife, tucked safely into his high boot.

She moved closer and to the side of him and started slowly circling him around, like a dark, dangerous predator.

"Call off your Knight before she gets hurt. I know she was sniffing around on your orders. Need I remind you what had happened when you tried to do the same?"

Arthur froze. He did forget that Shroud had to come save him from the kidnappers first, the memories of what followed shortly after eclipsing the rest. What if something like that would have had happened to Knight Lester, and she wouldn't have anyone to come for her? He knew he wouldn't forgive himself. Danse wouldn't forgive him too, never.

"Do you understand now? I have dangerous enemies. They will face justice, it time... But I can't be everywhere."

She made another circle around him and then stopped, facing away from him, looking at the door.

"I trust you will abandon this search. It leads nowhere."

"I can't."

"Yes, you can. It's in your power to stop it."

"Shroud... listen to me, please!" he was pleading. Again. How could she do that to him so easily was beyond his understanding.

She didn't move.

"Before I met you I felt like I was separated from the rest of the people. Nobody would understand the things I must do, the goals I have, the ideals I pursue, not truly. And no one would be there to catch me if I fall... Until you came along."

Thunder broke the silence and Arthur shivered under the cold rain. It burned the skin, but he could worry about it later. All that mattered is the woman in front of him. She wouldn't even spare him a glance. He pressed on.

"You saved me. I can't turn my back on you now. I feel like... I feel like you understand me. That you know this feeling... The pinnacle is high and alluring, but no one tells you how lonely it is when you get there."

She shook her head, pulling her trench coat tighter.

"Goodbye, Arthur. I would not risk coming here again. This is it. Don't look for me, or people will get hurt," her voice seemed to be cracking, or maybe it was just the rain hitting metal over their heads.

"I love you." he finally blurted out, the feeling tormenting him over those last few days realized.

"No. No, you don't." quietly answered Shroud and slipped through the door.

Arthur just stood there, stunned, for a few seconds. And then he bolted after her.

Metal floor rushed out to meet him and hit his chin eagerly. Shiny circles cut through his vision as he groaned, rolling on the wet deck. What?..

And then he saw it. Thick dark twine, almost invisible in the poor light, coiled around his ankles and shins. He realized too late that she was circling him for a reason. She knew he'd try to catch her, of course, he would, but Arthur was too busy staring at her than paying attention to what her hands were doing.

Or even his own feet.

He reached for his knife and cut through the rope. They were on an airship in the middle of a radstorm. She couldn’t escape. He burst through the door and heard some faint sounds from the deck above.

 

Anna sprinted through the ship as fast as she dared. Her coat was waterproof so she just shook the excess water off and ran towards the power armor bay. It was time to see how her plan would work out.

She opened her power armor, still docked at the station, and prayed the hiss of pneumatics wasn't too loud. She climbed inside and locked it, and then disabled all the processes manually. The armor slumped back into the inactive position, identical to the other ones all around her.

Less that ten seconds later she saw Arthur Maxson bursting into the power armor bay, looking around wildly. He cursed, his voice echoing across the empty space. He ran right past her, towards Teagan's cage. A few minutes later he returned, more cursing followed. He was heading for the crew quarters. _Perfect_.

She stepped out of the armor and shrugged off her slightly damp Shroud costume. She rolled it all tight, trench coat, shirt and pants, and stuffed it all into her power armor glove. Scarf and hat were folded into another glove. She closed her armor, mussed her hair with her hands, rubbed her eyes vigorously, unzipped her orange jumpsuit a few inches and staggered into the mess, covering her eyes against the bright light.

A few more people were already up, frowning, yawning and generally looking quite miserable. Anna could hear Maxson down the hall, banging on the doors, yelling at the crew to get up.

He seemed quite furious.

"There is an intruder on the ship!" he bellowed, "search everything! Now!"

The people dispersed like leaves in the wind, running all over the place, bashing open crates and lockers, climbing onto the upper decks...

Danse groaned as he stumbled out of his room and made his way towards Maxson.

"Who we are looking for, Elder?" he asked, his voice thick and groggy from sleep.

"A flippant vigilante by the name of Silver Shroud," growled Maxson, staring him down.

Anna could see just how pale Danse had turned. Paladin's eyes darted towards her for a short moment, and she shook her head from side to side slightly.

"I... see, Elder."

"I want you and your charge to take a sweep through all the personnel's quarters, including my own. I'm counting on you."

"Yes, sir." They both saluted. Maxson turned on his heel and marched right past Anna, looking not at her but through her.

Danse waited until Maxson was out of the earshot and grabbed her by the collar.

"What did you do?!" he hissed, almost lifting her off the ground with one hand. Her feet scrambled on the metal floor, trying not to lose her footing.

"I... It's a long story, Danse. Can't do it here. Please!"

The collar of her uniform crackled under the sudden stress.

He let her go, his dark eyes flaring with anger. He motioned her towards one of the now empty crew rooms.

"Come on. We have an assignment to complete. And then you will tell me everything. You owe me one."

"Yes, sir," she said meekly. She was not looking forward to that.

 

After five hours of rigorous search, the entire crew was exhausted. The ship was in disarray, and Teagan was openly drinking in the corner, muttering to himself. His eyes were infinitely sad and tired when he looked over his demolished storage facility.

Some crew members were sleeping in the mess hall or in the pile of boxes that was now sitting in the middle of the armor docking bay. Anna herself yawned and stretched, about to hit her own bed.

A firm hand grasped her shoulder and pulled her towards the officer's quarters. Danse was a determined one. Even though Paladin himself was deadly tired, he wanted to know the cause of everyone's misery.

Anna gritted her teeth. It was hard enough to tell her story to Nick, but Danse? He worshiped Maxson, just like everyone else aboard. He might just give her to him straightaway.

Danse pushed her into his room roughly and locked the door behind him. And then they just stared at each other. Paladin crossed his mighty arms around his equally muscular chest and frowned. He was looking quite menacing that way, she'd give him that.

"What happened?" He finally broke the silence, "tell me, but keep your voice down. Elder's room is on the other side of that wall."

Anna glanced over to where he was pointing. She remembered sadly how some unfortunate drifter had to listen to her and Maxson enthusiastically going at each other.

"Danse. I had... slept with Maxson."

"You what?!" He yelped, forgetting his own request. He started pacing around a small room, holding his head.

"I was Silver Shroud. He was in Goodneighbor for some reason. He never knew it was me, relax."

Danse snorted but kept pacing.

"Relax. Relax? You are the reason we just went through this mess! And I'm not sure it's over yet."

She sighed. Nope, it's far from it. She tried to warn him off. But it seems that she had miscalculated. Apparently, Arthur Maxson had a tendency not to do what he was told. The more she tried to push him away the more obsessed with her he became.

No, not with her. He was obsessed with Silver Shroud, even went as far as saying that he loved her.

Too bad that Shroud never existed in the first place. It was just little old her, putting on a coat and talking in a funny voice. A pity. The two would make a cute couple.

"I can't believe it," Danse huffed, but at least he stopped pacing. With him running around the tiny room Anna was feeling like a cornered little animal, "I just can't believe it."

"He's quite a fan of the Shroud's, actually. Or can you not believe that he is, in fact, a young man who has some urges?" She shrugged and sat on a narrow bed, too tired to stand, "Danse, can I go now? I'm about to collapse."

Danse gestured to the bed she was sitting on.

"Feel free to stay here tonight. Crew quarters is a total mess, we both saw it. You'll be more comfortable sleeping in that pile of cardboard at the bay."

She didn't need to be told twice. Anna kicked off her boots, scooted as close as she could to the edge and pulled the thin blanket up.

_I feel like you understand me._

Anna put her hands over the ears as if she could protect herself from a voice coming from the inside of her own mind. He thought he was talking to the Shroud, but those words hit the person behind the mask. She shuddered.

_No one tells you how lonely it is._

Being a leader of the Minutemen she knew that he was right. Camaraderie and friendship were for the equals. Leaders are given respect and a wide berth. She at least had Brotherhood, where she could feel... normal again. A regular person, not better or worse than anyone else.

Arthur Maxson had nothing until he met the Shroud. No wonder he was so hell bent on finding her.

She heard Danse disrobing, and then he climbed into the bed behind her, keeping a tiny sliver of distance between their bodies, putting one arm over her waist, careful not to stray any higher or lower. A very respectful sort of cuddling.

_I love you._

They way he said it almost broke her heart. She never wanted this, never expected it to go that far. She didn't need those feelings, not with the Institute still in force and her son missing.

Why couldn't she have those feelings for a better person, a loyal, respectful, trustworthy one? Someone who would always be there, someone who would watch her back. Someone who is not stuck on a cloudy peak of a mountain of leadership. A normal person.

Like Danse. It would have been so much easier.

_I love you._

Anna sobbed quietly and closed her eyes.

We are so fucked, she thought, because I might just love you too.

She was asleep a few moments later and couldn't feel Danse burying his face into her hair, his arm pulling her closer, holding her tight against his chest.

 

In the morning Arthur was bombarded with requests for field duty. Nobody wanted to clean up the mess, that was pretty obvious.

They never found the Shroud. She just... vanished. It seemed impossible. He couldn't imagine any way for her to get of Prydwen, short of jumping off the deck. All the vertibirds were in place, all power armor suits accounted for. His soldiers turned everything not nailed to the floor upside down.

No trace. She was quite impressive...

She could still be hiding on the ship as far as he could tell. Maybe laughing at the clumsiness of the people that were looking for her. The thought was driving him insane.

Arthur groaned in frustration as he looked over the ruins of a great city. He had only approved one request, for Knight Lester, to continue her search, despite Shroud's warning. He couldn't risk multiple 'birds leaving, Shroud could easily sneak out on one of them. He personally saw her out, hoping to maybe... what did he expect really? That Shroud would try to hijack a leaving vertibird? That was stupid. She was too smart for that.

He had only hoped that if Shroud did leave the ship she didn't get too far. The storm calmed down only hours after he saw her on the foredeck. Maybe Lester would have an easier time looking for her.

The wait and the tension were making him restless, so he decided to take a stroll through the ship.

It was a total chaos. Lockers were broken open, the contents in dirty piles on the floor, crates and chests bashed. A giant pile of cardboard was sitting in the middle of the power armor bay, ammo was scattered all over the place. Ingram was swearing loudly, it looked like one of the Initiates had knocked a suit of power armor to the floor.

Teagan was a sobbing pile in the corner, a few empty bottles lying next to him. Arthur frowned, but he understood. Teagan was something of a control freak. He loved his facility neat and tidy, where everything must make sense, everything must have a place. The horror of total chaos and annihilation around him was too much for the Proctor.

Arthur called over a couple of Initiates and ordered them to carry the man to his quarters and let him sleep it off.

Cade approached him quietly and handed him the requested RadAway. Arthur raised an eyebrow in surprise.

"Why bring it personally? Out of Squires?"

"Seems to be that way," the doctor answered dryly, "everyone who is anyone on this ship are trying to make Initiates and Squires to do all the work for them."

Arthur sighed and stuck the needle in his thigh right through the fabric of his uniform. Yesterday's talk under a storm was rather short, but one could never be too careful with radiation.

"May I ask why do you need this?" Cade asked calmly, but his eyes were sharp as ever.

"You may not, Knight-Captain," he said firmly, clasping his hands behind him. Medic nodded politely and left Arthur alone with his thoughts.

A loud bang caught his attention. Danse was hauling some fallen crates back into a neat stack in the corner. Arthur smiled. Maybe a distraction would help him. Wouldn't hurt to take his mind of the things that happened last night. A chat with an old friend would do the trick.

"Paladin Danse", he called, and the man spun around, giving his a hasty salute, "thought you could use a break."

"I'm quite fine, sir," Danse answered, wiping the sweat of his forehead, "there is too much to do."

"You're a Paladin. Someone else can do it for you."

Danse shrugged.

"Doesn't feel quite right to just stand there when everyone else is working their asses off."

Arthur chuckled.

"Come on. The Knights can handle it. I still have a bottle of whiskey with your name on it."

"It's a bit early, you know." Danse frowned disapprovingly, but Arthur could tell he was almost convinced.

"It's not a very usual day, you might say."

Danse sighed and nodded.

"On that, we can agree."

 

Arthur grinned at Danse when they were making their way to his quarters.

"Saw you and Knight Lester last night, going into your room. Seems like you finally got some, huh? I waited for an hour before going to my quarters, you know. To give you some space."

He watched as Danse's ears flared red.

"No! It's not like that, really..."

Arthur smacked him on the shoulder lightly.

"Relax, I'm not going to scold you for fraternization. If she was willing, of course," he said quietly, opening the door to his room and smirked, "I mean, she did punch you in the face before."

Danse was shifting on his feet uncomfortably.

"Arthur, really, we didn't do anything. Her room was trashed so we shared. We do that sometimes on the missions."

They walked into Arthur's quarters and he closed the door behind them. He plopped on the couch immediately and reached out for the bottles.

"Uh-huh. And you just happened to shove her in with that look on your face," Arthur frowned and bared his teeth, trying his best to imitate a feral snarl he saw on Danse's face yesterday. He couldn't keep it up for long and snorted.

"Where is that whiskey," growled Danse, sitting himself on the edge on the table, looking at laughing Arthur.

He passed a bottle over to the paladin, and Danse immediately took a generous swig, then started helping himself with some dried mutfruit that Arthur was keeping in the top drawer of his desk.

"Too bad we couldn't find Silver Shroud," Danse said after a short pause, "but I'm sure that if she was on the ship she had left already. We searched everything."

If Danse was trying to evade the conversation about his conquests, well, fine. Arthur frowned and looked away. He thought about the Shroud for a bit, and then a terrible realization hit him.

"I just thought..." he looked at Danse, who raised his brow in response, "to get in and out of the ship like she did... Maybe she teleported? Maybe she is with the Institute? That would explain it..."

"No!" Danse jumped on his feet, dropping the mutfruit he was chewing on and shook his head, "no, no way, sir."

Arthur cocked his head to the side.

"And how would you know?" He asked quietly.

"I... I just, ummm..."

Arthur's eyes narrowed dangerously. He sat up straight, looking closely at his friend. Danse was nervous, his eyes darted to the side before locking into his face. His ears were all but glowing.

_He knows something._

And, come to think of it...

"How do you know that Shroud is a she?" slowly asked Arthur.

Danse swallowed hard and tried to say something.

His eyes bulged. He tried to gesture something, but couldn't make a sound. Arthur snorted. Perfect. Part of him wanted Danse to sweat it for a bit, but if the man chokes to death he won't be able to tell him what he knows.

Fine.

After administrating a Heimlich maneuver he gave Danse a few moments to catch his breath. He closed the drawer of his desk and looked at Paladin, his face strict.

"No more mutfruit. Now, you were saying."

Danse looked pale, whether from almost choking or from fear of speaking out he couldn't tell.

"The Shroud, Danse. I know that you know something," he made his tone low and menacing. So much for a friendly chat he was hoping for, "tell me!"

"Is that an order, sir?" quietly asked Danse, looking at his feet.

"Damn right it is," what is going on? Arthur grit his teeth. He had to know.

"All right. She can't really blame me for following a direct order from you. I mean, she still will but at least it wouldn't feel like a betrayal..." Danse trailed off.

Arthur thought that he was going to hit him if he was going to stall any longer. The other eye.

Danse looked up and met his gaze. He looked miserable.

"It's Anna, sir. Knight Lester. She is the Shroud, and she was all along."

At first, he thought that Danse beat him to the punch. It sure felt like it. Arthur's knees suddenly gave out from under him, and he dropped back on the couch. He closed his eyes and covered his face.

She was here all along. Right next to him. Hiding in plain sight. How many times did he walk by her, how many times had he talked to her without realizing? And worst of all, he sent her to look for the Shroud... She must think he was an idiot by now.

Danse cleared his throat, returning him to reality.

"Permission to leave, Elder?" he looked highly uncomfortable.

Arthur looked at him intently. Part of him wanted to send Danse after Lester and have him haul her over to the Prydwen and... he felt his cheeks warming under the beard. And what? She was probably going to laugh in his face. No. He needed a better plan.

A plan... Yes. Planning was something he was good at. Cool calm washed over him. He had an upper hand now, not her. It would be his game from now on.

A devilish grin slowly appeared on his face as he looked at Danse.

"Yes. Yes, and you will go now and fetch Lester's dog, wherever it is."

Paladin looked surprised, but nodded and turn to leave quickly.

"And Danse."

"Sir?" He was almost through the door.

"Not a word to Knight Lester. That's an order."

The door closed shut and Arthur threw his legs up on the table, laughing quietly. Now that he knew and she didn’tt, it was his turf. His plan. He would get his dear Shroud - Anna - to sweat, just like she did it to him.

It was time for some payback.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Her secret is no more, what will Arthur do now? What does he mean by "payback"?
> 
> Find out on our next episode!


	4. Unmasked

It was a hot and humid day. Anna dabbed her forehead with a sleeve and looked proudly at another canon they had just installed. One more and every bastion in the Castle would have one of those beauties.

She giggled, remembering the time they first fired their artillery. Fire blazing through the night, blasts echoing across the sleeping Commonwealth. It was a proud battle cry roaring ‘ _we're back!_ ’

Soon after that, a rather appalled Lancer-Captain Kells landed nearby, just to make sure that they weren't firing in their direction. He was also quite concerned with the range of the weapon.

They were really shitting their pants for Kells to come running personally.

Ronnie Shaw rolled the aiming mechanism, frowned, then dripped some more oil into the gears and spun it again. Then she nodded approvingly. Anna thought she saw a fleeting smile on Ronnie's thin lips, but she wasn't sure.

"One more of these and Castle would be back to full strength."

"Can't wait," she nodded.

"Those tin cans on the flying dick will think twice before conquering Commonwealth now. It's ours to protect."

Anna snorted loudly. She liked Ronnie.

"Let's hope it wouldn't come to that," she said, grinning. Prydwen was hanging over the airport in the distance, and she did have a rather _phallic_ shape, "besides, they have their uses. Clearing mutants and ferals..."

Ronnie huffed and lit a cigarette.

"Yeah yeah, whatever you have to tell yourself. General."

The woman marched off, looking irritated as ever.

Anna stood up, taking a deep breath. Cool ocean breeze blew over her, as her fingers caressed the cannon barrel lovingly.

She heard a commotion in the courtyard and had to turn and see what was going on. She smiled, recognizing a familiar battle worn power armor.

"Danse!" she ran down the stairs, grabbing her General jacket from rusty railings, "what are you doing out here, big guy?"

He looked... nervous all of a sudden.

"Knight. I have come to ah... collect your dog."

Anna's brows shot up. Well, that was new.

"Dogmeat?"

A beautiful Shepherd jumped up at the sound of his name and padded over, just as curious as she was. Anna smiled brightly and crouched next to him.

"What did you do this time, have you been a bad boy? Such a bad boy? So bad that big scary Danse came looking for you?" she cooed, scratching behind his ears with both hands.

Dogmeat looked as happy as he could ever be, and then rolled over and presented her his belly.

"Oh yes, you are, yes you are!"

Danse cleared his throat.

"Actually, Knight, we, ah, require his help. A... um, Initiate, yes, had gone missing. We were hoping we could borrow Dogmeat for a while to find him."

Anna looked up and shrugged.

"Um, sure. He'll be a big help. Will you boy?"

Dogmeat flipped over and barked happily.

Danse still looked troubled. He didn't even call her by name, and they were far away from the Prydwen and a rigid chain of command. Could be that he was still embarrassed by what happened in the morning.

Anna woke up to find him pawing her breasts in his sleep, morning wood poking suggestively at the small of her back. She tried to carefully untangle herself from his limbs, but the movement woke him up.

It took him a few seconds to figure out what his body was doing, and when his mind caught on, Danse flew up from the bed and turned away, his ears hot and red.

She yearned to reach out to him. To touch him, soothe him, tell him it was all right. But she couldn't bring herself to do it for some reason. And that reason she suspected had very blue eyes.

Damn you, Maxson, she thought. She couldn't even take advantage of a suggestive situation like that.

Danse mumbled an apology as Anna quickly collected her boots and left, zipping up her jumpsuit.

And now she was feeling guilty for no good reason. She didn't do anything, despite sometimes having very explicit fantasies about her sponsor. Why the hell was she feeling that way?

Damn it all. Damn Brotherhood, and Arthur Maxson and his giant flying dick.

 

 

After a few days of helping settlements, she was nearing Boston Airport, alone. Mac expressed no desire to go into that stick-up-the-ass military base and trailed off about an hour away from it, heading back to Diamond City.

When she asked him what he was going to do, the sniper grinned and winked mischievously. Anna wished she could come with him, but she knew she would only keep herself awake at night, feeling like she is ought to be fighting crime.

It has been a while since she was the Shroud. But with an expedition to the Glowing Sea approaching she needed to focus.

She wondered who is going to miss her if she would die out there.

A vertibird was waiting to take her up. In a few minutes, she was climbing onto the deck, wondering idly if it was a sort of punishment for the Lancers to get airport duty. Must be so dull.

Anna pushed her way into the command deck and was greeted with a loud bark. She quirked her eyebrow. Was Dogmeat still here?

A second later a very happy Shepherd hit her in the chest. She laughed, hugging him back. Standing on his back legs, Dogmeat was almost as tall as she was, allowing him to cover her face in warm, wet licks.

A whistle came from the command center and suddenly Dogmeat let go of her, padding back into the brightly lit room. Anna followed him, wiping her face.

"Dogmeat? What's wrong boy?"

She came to a sudden halt when she saw Arthur fucking Maxson patting her dog's head. He turned to face her, calm and collected as ever, a trace of smile fading from his lips.

"Knight Lester. Welcome back."

She eyed him suspiciously.

"Elder. I thought you would return my dog to the Castle after you find your Initiate."

"What Initiate?" he was scratching Dogmeat behind the ear and Anna felt somewhat jealous.

"Danse said an Initiate had gone missing, so you needed Dogmeat to find him."

"Ah. Yes, he had returned to the base safely. Your dog's help was invaluable. So much so that I was hoping he could help us on another mission."

"Of course," Anna answered, feeling rather annoyed. When did Dogmeat get so friendly with him?

Maxson reached into his pocket and pulled something out, opening his palm.

Anna took in a sharp breath.

It was a simple black bandana, but she recognized it instantly. It was the same one she used as a mask, the same one she blindfolded him with during their night together. The same one she left with him. It would still have her scent on it.

The silence was unbearable. It crawled under her skin. Her insides were coiled tightly like a spring, her eyes laser focused on the piece of dark fabric.

Was he carrying it around the whole time? Anna would have thought it was cute if she wasn't so terrified. His arm hovered just a notch too far away for Dogmeat to start sniffing at her mask.

Her hands twitched. She wanted nothing more that to grab the piece of cloth, but she knew it would give her away. So she looked up.

Maxson was watching her intensely. So much that she couldn't break away from his gaze now. Two dark blue pools of infinity. They threatened to drown her in their deepness if only she’d let him.

"Just the thing I thought would help you in your search," he said, and she barely contained a shiver.

 _Too close_. Her heart was beating high in her throat.

His hand started moving towards Dogmeat.

"Sir!" she cried out and immediately bit her lip. Did she just give herself out?

He stopped inches away from dog's nose and pulled back a bit.

"Yes, Knight?" his tone was casual.

"Maybe... Maybe it would be better to, um, start on the ground? So he can follow the trail."

It seemed like an eternity had passed. Anna was sure her nails bit through the skin of her palms by the time he spoke again.

"Good idea."

"I'll start immediately," she managed to choke out, "Elder."

Maxson arched an eyebrow. Was it... a hint of a smile in his eyes? Or was she imagining things?

"Now? You just got here, Knight. Wouldn't want you to collapse from exhaustion. Take a day off. That's an order."

She was going to drive herself mad long before that.

"Yes, sir," she answered through gritted teeth.

"Good."

Anna was eyeing the damn piece of dark cloth.

"May I...?"

If only she could get rid of it before tomorrow, maybe...

Maxson chuckled, a low rumble coming deep from within his chest.

"No... no, I think I'll keep this for now. You are dismissed."

He stuffed her mask back into his pocket. It took all of Anna's willpower not to break into a run as she left.

 

 

Time was _crawling_.

Anna sat in the mess hall, slurping up the noodles angrily. She couldn't find anything to do, and all the while her mind was churning.

She unpacked, sent her clothes for cleaning, changed. Cleaned her rifle. Cleaned her pistol. Even sharpened her knife.

It took only two hours.

She took a thorough shower, dried her hair, then stood by a mirror contemplating a new haircut for a while.

Another forty-five minutes.

She was having an early dinner now, as people slowly trickled down into the mess hall. That would take another half and hour.

Anna was officially out of ideas.

She dreaded tomorrow and couldn't wait for it to come faster at the same time. The wait was slowly killing her. Worst of all, she still didn't know what to do.

 _You could come clean,_ her conscious said in Nick's voice. She groaned at it and stabbed a piece of brahmin meat with her chopsticks. That was not an option.

She could run. That would be a desertion. Anna would lose her touch with the strongest military force in the Commonwealth. It might get to that artillery fire after all.

Anna looked around, taking in the people sitting around her. Laughing, chatting, not a worry in the world as they shared stories over a cup of hot noodles. They were good people. She noticed a couple of young Squires sitting next to adults, all eyes and ears. They looked so proud to be here.

No, that wasn't an option either. Not a one Anna was willing to take.

She could lose the mask. It was the only trail that led to her. No... Maxson was too smart to bite into that. He'd know she did it on purpose.

Unless... unless she would make him lose a mask. He would be suspicious, sure, but if she is quick enough, quiet enough to take it out of his pocket, then technically it would be his own mishap.

Anna smiled, feeling a bit more confident. It was a risky plan, but it was the only one she had.

 

 

Since it was her official day off, she went down to the airport with Dogmeat. A Squire had found an old baseball for them and decided to tag along. They played fetch for a good hour or so, and the kid looked like he was on cloud nine.

Anna wondered if she would ever get to do something like that with Shaun.

On the way back she stopped to chat with Ingram. Sadly, Proctor was almost always busy, so Anna has left her to her work. Dogmeat, on the other hand, decided to keep her company. Ingram didn't seem to mind.

Meeting with Ingram reminded her that she probably should take a look at her power armor. It would be her greatest ally in the Sea, and it deserved some love, even though Anna didn't want to live in it like some people.

She climbed off the vertibird and went for the power armor bay. In this hour it was almost empty, with only a couple of Scribes tinkering with some experimental pieces. Anna still took a careful look around her. She still needed to smuggle her Shroud costume out.

So far so good. No one seemed to be approaching her. She turned the wheel, opening the suit and reached inside a metal arm.

She felt her heart plummeting. It was empty.

The other glove was devoid of any contents as well. Anna took a deep breath and counted to ten as slowly as she could.

Maybe in her haste to outrun Maxson she jumped into a wrong suit. She checked a neighboring dock. Empty.

Almost panicking she went through all nearby suits. Empty, empty, _empty_.

She slumped onto a wall and slid down to the floor as her legs gave out from under her.

Someone had found her costume. Inside her suit. That was a damning piece of evidence. And what were the chances that this person kept the costume instead of turning it over to Maxson?

Anna felt an icy feeling of dread surging through her.

What if he knows?

But... what if he doesn't? When he said there was an intruder in the ship he wasn't very descriptive. He might not know after all.

She will steal the only evidence he had. And then she will deal with the rest.

 

 

The day finally ended. Anna spent the last hours of it trying to hide as much as possible. When she even thought she heard Maxson's steps approaching, she ran the other way. It was maddening. Was she getting paranoid, looking over every corner, jumping whenever anyone tried to talk to her?

The lights were dimmed, the shifts were changed, the doors were closed. Anna sat on her bed, surrounded by snores, hugging herself to keep somewhat calm. It would work. It had to.

She changed her bright orange jumpsuit for a dark T-shirt and baggy pants. Barefoot, shivering at the touch of metal floor, she slid out of the room.

Maxson's quarters were on the other side of the hall. She walked over there slowly, listening in. No sound came out of his room, which probably meant that he wasn't there. She turned the handle with as little sound as possible, peeking in. It was dark inside.

She risked opening the door a little further. A stream of light fell onto a neatly made bed, and a familiar heavy leather coat was draped across it. Anna let out a breath she was holding and slipped inside, her eyes focused on a pocket where she knew her mask would be.

The door closed behind her with a thump.

Anna jumped up, spinning around. A light switch was flipped and she groaned, shielding herself from the sudden bright light, blinded momentarily.

When she was able to open her eyes again she promptly wished she didn't.

Arthur Maxson was standing by the door, his palm on a handle. He was so tall and menacing. The tight black jumpsuit was hugging his body, doing a better job of revealing every curve of powerful muscles rather than concealing them.

"I knew you'd come here. Just as planned," he said quietly.

"You," it felt like she couldn't breathe, "you have... _planned_ it?"

That was hard to believe. But she did hear from the others that he was a great tactician. Was everything that had happened to her today, ever since she stepped on board, a carefully placed trap?

Her breath hitched. No. He sent Danse to get Dogmeat days ago. He planned it all along.

Maxson reached out to his desk and picked something up. Anna covered her reddening face in shaking hands.

Her Silver Shroud hat. Maxson spun it on his finger, smirking.

"As soon as I learned that you were behind the mask I knew exactly how you evaded me. It was quite brilliant, I have to admit. It never even occurred to me to check inside a power armor suit..."

His voice traveled closer. Anna looked up to meet his gaze.

"How did you know in the first place?" she asked sharply. She had to know where she slipped up.

"Danse," he answered simply.

It felt like he had hit her. Anna recoiled away from him, reaching for a wall to support herself. Her eyes stung, her heart stung even worse. No... _how could he?_

She heard Maxson stepping up behind her, felt the heat of his body and gasped when cold metal brushed against her palm.

"Don't blame him. I made him say it," he whispered, "take a look at this."

She closed her fingers around the object and knew what it was instantly. A pair of handcuffs. Anna mustered up whatever courage she had left and grinned, turning her head. She could see him out of a corner of her eye.

"My, my, Elder. I didn't know you were the type."

Her taunt didn't seem to work. Damn it.

"Can you pick those?"

She turned the cuffs over in her hand, inspecting the lock.

"Sure. It's a simple mechanism. It would only take me a few seconds."

"As I suspected," there was a dangerous edge to his tone.

Anna suddenly felt a different set of handcuffs catching her other wrist. She tried to move away but he was so fast. He had her arm in hand before she knew it. She tried to fight him but it was like trying to overpower a bear. Maxson bent her wrist in just the right way and she hissed, releasing the cuffs she was still holding.

The lock clicked behind her back and she hung her head in surrender.

She thought she was so clever. But he had played her with seemingly no effort at all. It was frightening.

And more than a bit exciting. She shifted, feeling how wet she already was between her legs.

Maxson spun her around, making her face him. She didn't look up, so his fingers went under her chin and forced her to meet his gaze. He was smiling triumphantly, his beautiful blue eyes burning with hunger. He had caught her at last.

How did it turn out that way? She was the one with a plan, with a surprise attack. She was the Silver Shroud. He was blindsided by the whole mystery thing for a while, but as soon as illusion shattered he was the one in control. It was still hard to believe, but the cold metal of the cuffs was real enough.

It felt like she was burning under his gaze.

And then she felt a soft touch of fabric on her cheek and shuddered. No point in hiding that now.

The cloth was black, warm and familiar.

" _My turn_ ," he whispered hoarsely. The mask slid up over her eyes and the world went dark.

Anna was already shaking with anticipation. God, that was beyond hot. She felt helpless and vulnerable without sight, without knowing what comes next. She could feel him shifting.

Cold steel glanced over her skin close to the neck and she yelped, jerking backward. Maxson cursed and pressed her firmly against the wall.

"Shhh... Don't move."

The knife returned, and dove downwards, barely grazing her skin. She felt a collar of her shirt tugging against her neck. She was afraid to breathe as he cut away her tee, exposing her burning skin to cold air.

While he seemed to be contemplating how to cut through her bra she reached down and found a single bobby pin in the back pocket. Anna flipped it in her palm, smiling. She had to try. He wouldn't expect anything less of her.

In a few swift motions, her bra was on the floor and his mouth was on her nipple. Anna gasped as he sucked and licked at a hardened peak. Tips of his fingers trailed down her spine and she felt the tiny hair on her skin standing up.

His lips traveled lower, and suddenly he licked at her navel. She bit her lip. It felt... weird. In a _very_ good way. She let out a quiet cry as he continued to lap at it, making her squirm. All the while she was trying to open her cuffs, but he was so distracting, and the lock was far more complex than she expected it to be.

He knew she'll try to pick it. Just how far did he think this little operation of his through?

Maxson's fingers hooked over the top of her pants and pulled the garment down with the underwear. He paused and Anna could feel a sticky trail of juices following her panties before it smeared on her thigh.

He laughed quietly and it was the sexiest sound she had ever heard in her life. Low and husky, it went straight to her core. She almost dropped her pin when it happened.

If only she could see him now... She wanted to see his face when he looked up at her from between her legs.

"Is that for me?" he asked softly, his fingers trailing up, following the wetness, "you like that, don't you?... I'd never thought you were the type."

Anna whimpered. If he keeps talking he might tip her over the edge with just his voice alone. That would be too big of a victory to surrender, though. She did not intend to let him have it.

His fingers stopped right before touching her throbbing pussy. She was already slowly oozing the juices out and Maxson chuckled. His hand was gone in a second and Anna cursed the blindfold again. It was driving her insane.

How did he not rip it off during their first night? His hands were free. She didn't have that kind of self-control.

She felt him pushing her leg up and her pants slid off to the floor. He did the same with her other foot but didn't let go. He planted a gentle kiss on top of it and was making a slow, tantalizingly slow way up.

"I was dreaming about it for a while," he whispered against her skin, making her shiver, "what I would do with you when you are finally mine."

His coarse beard was scratching her oversensitive skin in the best way possible. Alright. She was starting to see the benefit of a blindfold.

Her struggle with the lock was forgotten when his lips brushed against her inner thigh.

He was so close, but he didn't move. Anna's heart was beating so loudly that she was certain he could hear it.

What was he waiting for?

"Say my name," he whispered, his voice husky, full of longing. She could feel his breath on her lower lips, his hands trembling ever so slightly, "say my name, Anna."

It was the first time he said her own name. It was always 'Knight Lester' or even just 'Knight', and she never called him anything but 'Elder'.

It's a long way down from here, she knew it. Although she crossed the event horizon long before that, this was it. And she never wanted to make a bad decision so badly in her life.

" _Arthur_ ," she sobbed, his name like a prayer on her lips, "Arthur..."

She screamed when his mouth covered her pussy, sucking and licking, his tongue lapping at her clit almost forcefully. He threw her leg over his shoulder and pressed in, adding his fingers to the mix. He was stretching her out, even though there was almost no need for that - she was dripping at his palm, ready for him the moment he clasped the cuffs on her wrists.

He slid a third long finger in easily and curled them up, hitting just the right spot. Anna cursed, whimpering, as she almost fell over, a strong hand on her hip the only thing keeping her up. Arthur laughed again, his voice sending delicious vibration into her clit he was still lapping at.

"You're mine now," he whispered, as she was teetering on the brink.

His fingers curled again, and a wave of hot, burning pleasure overwhelmed her. She wailed his name as she rode out her orgasm, and heard him moan under her, his hand hastily sliding off her thigh downward. Even panting and shaking as she was Anna found it in herself to smirk slyly, hearing a distinct sound of a zipper opening.

_Not so tough after all, are we._

A few seconds later Arthur gasped and spilled on her leg, pressing his damp forehead to her stomach.

They stayed like that for a little while, regaining their composure. Anna took a deep breath and started fiddling with the lock all over again, while Arthur seemed to be taking a break from his ministrations and allowing her to concentrate.

_Yep, right there..._

She felt his head jerk up when he heard the lock click.

The very moment her hands were free she pushed at him hard, slamming him onto the floor. He groaned under her as she straddled his hips, and finally, Anna was able to rip the blindfold off her eyes. She squinted at the light as it stung her eyes a bit, but nothing could wipe a grin off her face.

She raised her arm, cuffs still swinging from her right wrist.

"Took you long enough," smirked Arthur, licking his lips. His face was all wet with her juices.

"Well, you didn't make it easy," she retorted, smacking him lightly on the shoulder, "and by the way, you're overdressed."

"We'll have to remedy that," he reached for the top of his suit, but Anna caught his wrist and pushed it aside, clicking her tongue.

"Not so fast, cowboy. I have a better plan."

His eyes widened with surprise and excitement in equal measure when he felt his own knife slipping under a high collar of his uniform.

 

 

When they finally collapsed onto the narrow bed, Arthur felt like he couldn't move another muscle even if his life would depend on it. Anna was panting on his chest, her damp skin, blazing hot just a few seconds ago, was cooling rapidly under his fingers.

He kissed the top of her head gently and draped an arm around her, trying to keep her warm. She nuzzled into his neck, her breathing evening out, though he could still feel her pulse beating a bit too fast under the soft yet supple skin.

Arthur was about to say that she was beautiful, but a knock from the other side of the wall beat him to it.

"I know it's not my place to interrupt," Danse's voice was muffled by an obstacle but it was still clearly recognizable, "but it's been hours and the entire ship could hear everything. Sir. We could use some sleep."

Arthur never laughed so hard in his life. He was echoed by Anna, who was still lying on his chest, and she was wiping tears from her sparkling eyes.

It was a better final episode for their story than he could ever hope for.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yay! Thanks to everyone who read this, it was a wild ride! I hope you had as much fun reading it as I did writing it.
> 
> <3
> 
> Keep an eye out for further stories, I have a couple of ideas.
> 
> Like another k/meme prompt I spied a while ago: Silver Shroud is sick/otherwise indisposed. Someone will have to put on a cape and do the thing for them.
> 
> There is an super fun fill for with with Strong being the replacement, but I have other ideas.
> 
> Like I totally picture Danse and Arthur fighting over the chance at being the Shroud for a few days.
> 
> XOXO


End file.
